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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

December Brown Bag was tonight!

We had the December Brown Bag here tonight. It was a blast and a total success. Right now I feel exhilarated and exhausted. Yep, two big fancy E words. That's where I'm at.

Thanks to feeling really not-good that one day and getting sucked in to re-watching season 2 of Gilmore Girls, I was way behind on all of my little preparations for Brown Bag this month. Oh, and did I mention it was only (exactly) 3 weeks after the November Brown Bag? And I taught a sewing class in between? And Bryan's right in the middle of finals? Whew. No wonder I'm feeling the second E word. Yeah, exhausted.

Still, all last-minute preparations aside, I think tonight went really well. It was the first time I taught the Brown Bag demo with everyone making a sample project at the same time I was teaching. I'm always learning as I go (learning how to teach, I mean), but I think I maybe fooled everybody into thinking I knew what I was doing. Haha.

It really helps that the girls (women) who come are so good about saying things like, "I can't see. Will you bring it around and show us?" and "Umm... I didn't get that. What am I supposed to do here?" These ladies are proactive. They share their own little tips and tricks. They help each other out. They ask for help when they need it. It is unbelievably helpful for me as an instructor. If they were all super shy and never asked questions, I'd be a terrible teacher. It's true. They make me feel like a sewing rock star.

And, it never fails, someone asked me tonight how long I've been doing Brown Bag. "This is month number three," I said.

"Oh, I know, but you did it in Utah before you moved out here, right?"

"Uhh... no. I just made this up and started it in October. Haha."

Silent stares. Me feeling kind of awkward.

"Okay cool. So anyway..."

I was also grilled a couple of times today on how I got started sewing, how/when/why I started my blog, the ins and outs and owning and operating an Etsy shop, and one good friend spent a good long while interrogating me on why I recently switched to a .com.

Inevitably, what people are asking is how to get traffic online. And, inevitably, they're dissatisfied when I confess that I have zero control over the traffic I get on my blog. Haha, if I did, I'd get more traffic! And I think there's always some edgy hint of the old question about how to get rich quick.

But blogging and Etsy shop ownership is a far cry from any get rich quick scheme. It's a marathon. And, when you really get down to it, running a business through your blog is all about loving the endless jog of writing and photographing life around you.

It's the outpouring of a love of life itself.

Or, at least, that's what it is for me anyway.

I'm getting off topic. Brown Bag. We're talking about Brown Bag.

Friends, it was fantastic. If I had my way, every one of you would get to go to Brown Bag each month. Sit and chat with crafty friends. Swap stories about your crazy napping/non-napping kids. Rave about the wonderful treats everyone brings. Laugh at beginner attempts at sewing. Learn a little something. And go home feeling energized. Just the first E word. Just the first one. That's my wish for all of you.

5 comments:

I would have loved to have been there having a big ol' crafty girls' night. Glad it went well for you. A few of my girlfriends from church and I have talked about something similar - maybe it doesn't have to be as big and overwhelming as I feel like it is. Good job.